Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-07-28
LIME As A FERTILIZER.


LIVE - y FERTILIZER
IT. Satisfactory snd Lasting Eject Upso
Lmessoas Soala.
An agricultural professor having
been asked . question in regard to tho
effect OF lime upon limestone soils,
replies that it has no effect upon such
sol Is and is not in any sense plant
food. but acts only as it exerts . chemi.
cal effect upon organic matter in the
soil. decomposing it and making it
more quickly available. Consequently
it is stimulant and not q fertiliser.
and its use is apt to be injurious; OF
words to this effect as we quote from
memory. Had an ordinary farmer
given utterance to such remarks they
might have been excused on the
ground that this belief has been prev.
alent for years past when the action Of
lime upon the soil was not fully UNDER
stood. But an intelligent farmer
would scarcely make such an errone.
Gus statement knowing how much lime
is contained in the ash of all the
crops grown upon farms. and also
knowing that the materials which 90
to make up this ash must be plant food
quite as much as nitrogen or potash or
phosphoric acid is plant food. That
professor in an agricultural college
should make this statement goes far to
explain why these institutions are not
as acceptable to the farmers as they
might be. For If there is any subject
upon which practical farmers know ex-
perimentally more Of than another it is
the results Of lime upon the soil.
Lime is . most active alkaline sub
stance. an oxide Of tho metal calcium.
1t possesses remarkable properties. be.
ing exceedingly corrosive and destruc-
tive to organic matter. and combining
actively with silica. Moreover. it IL q
constant constituent of all organic
matter. forming large portion of the
ash of ali plants and Of the bones and
shells OF all animals. Its corrosive
property is due to its avidity for car.
bonic acid and water; as it combines
with this acid to form its neutral con-
ditiOn as carbonate of lime, in which
form it holds about 50 per. cent. Of
water in combination without being
itself moist, but remaining as . fine
dry powder.
1t is produced by calcining common
limestone, which is the neutral q nd
wholly inert carbonate of lime, and is
very common ingredient of the soil.
The calcination drives off the carbonic
acid and leaves the lime (oxide or cali
cium) pure, with loss of nine-tenths
of its weight. 1t is then soluble in
seven hundred times its weight of
water. In the form Of the carbonate
or common limestone it is scarcely
soluble In pure water. and is wholly
inactive upon organic matter.
Lime forms the following proportion
of the ash Of plants, viz: OF hay. IL
per cent; of red clover, "a to 40 per
cent; of lscern. 48 per cent; of stems
and leaves Of potatoes. 50 to As per
cent; of turnips 80 per cent; Of car
rots. 50 per cent; Of potato fibre, so
per cent; of wheat straw, 6 per cent;
of Oat straw. 8 per cent; of corn
stalks. 1O4 per cent; of pea straw, 50
per cent; Of bean stems. q per cent.
Of the hemp plant. 43 per cent; of the
hop plant. Is per cent; of tobacco. 81
per cent of oak leaves. 48 per cent
Of all other trees. Is to Is per cent.
Of all seeds. from 5 to 38 per cent of
all timbers. from 81 to IS per cent; of
barks of trees, from 43 to 70 per cent
For any person. much more an agri-
cultural professor. then, to say that
lime is not plant food is most re-
misstatement and evinces
the grOssest ignorance Of common
agricultural matters. II lime is not q
plant food potash is not nor is nitro
gen. for there is more lime in many
plants than there is nitrogen. More
over the fact is that lime exerts IS
much effect upon the crops where the
soil is full Of limestone as where there
IS none; for limestone is wholly insolu-
bic excepting in water containing >
quantity of carbonic acid.
But as lime is readily soluble in GOLD |
water and is quickly made insoluble
by its combination with carbonic acid
which it acquires from the organic
matter it meets with in the soil. it is |
soon fixed. so to speak. and made un-
AVAILABLE for plants. Hence it must |
be frequently applied to the land and
many old faDmers who have used lime
Ill their lives as q regular course Of
'ertilizing their land. consider it moro
beneficial to use ten or twelve bushels
than to use forty or fifty
,yery fourth or fifth year.
Lime is used most abundantly where
he soil is full of limestone, and the
'easOn is that the abundant limestone
makes the lime cheap. for limestone il
,eavy. and the cost of its carriage and
handling is considerable. Where lime
tone is not found it is best to bring
n lime, because the lime from two
pounds of limestone weighs
,nly eleven hundred pounds. and
here Ia a laroa saving of cost in the